Project Description
Pale-maille or Palla-Maglio (Pall-mall) was a lawn game that was mostly played in the 16th and 17th centuries. The game was popular in Italy, France, England and Scotland and in other parts of Western Europe in the 16th century, which also found its way to Malta through the Order of St. John. The Mall at Floriana was built by Grandmaster Lascaris in 1656 for the recreation of the Knights.
An interesting feature about the Mall is that it lies along an axis stretching from St Philip Bastion at Floriana, along Republic Street in Valletta and which ends at the spur of Fort St. Elmo at the bottom of the same street.
The garden was opened to the public by Sir Alexander Ball, Governor of Maltese Islands, in the name of King George III. Until the year 1942, the gardens were enclosed by high walls but, after the war, the high eight-course on each side wall was removed and replaced by a lower boundary wall with iron railings to be visible from the street. In late 2021 the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation (GHRC) commenced a €5 million regeneration project for the Mall Garden at Floriana, a link to connect the Argotti area with the Biskuttin, Triton Square the entrance into Valletta.
The project included the improvement of the aesthetics of the garden through restoration and rehabilitation such as new irrigation facilities, garden furniture, installation of a new lighting system inside and outside the garden, some 7,500m² of new paving including the outside pavements, a new boundary wall, the restoration of the monuments and the entrance arches and the re-construction of the fountain. Prior to conclusion, other service works will be installed.
